Editing Operation: UPPER CUT

{{Status|Canon}}
{{Battle infobox
|prev= [[Battle at Szurdok Ridge]]
|conc= [[Operation: LEFT JAB]]
|next= [[Siege of New Alexandria]]
|name= '''''Operation: UPPER CUT'''''
|image=[[File:LNoS ends.jpg|350px]] 
|conflict= [[Human-Covenant War]]
*[[Fall of Reach]]
|date= August 14, [[2552]]
|place= Orbit of [[Reach]], [[Epsilon Eridani system]]
|result=
'''Decisive UNSC tactical victory'''
*''Ardent Prayer'' and ''Long Night of Solace'' destroyed
*''Fleet of Valiant Prudence'' destroyed
'''Strategically indecisive'''
*Strategic gains nullified due to arrival of Covenant reinforcements
|side1= [[United Nations Space Command]]
|side2= [[Covenant]]
|commanders1=
*[[Urban Holland|Col. Urban Holland]]
*[[Carter-A259|CDR Carter-A259]]
*[[Catherine-B320|LCDR Kat-B320]]
*[[SPARTAN-B312|LT SPARTAN-B312]]
*[[Jorge-052|CWO Jorge-052]]† 
*[[Kristòf Jen|Capt. Kristòf Jen]]†
|commanders2=*[[Supreme Commander]] [[Rho 'Barutamee]]†
*[[Shipmaster]] [[Ardo 'Moretumee]]†
*Shipmaster [[Kantar 'Utaralee]]
|forces1=
*[[UNSC Army]]
*[[UNSC Navy]]
**[[Epsilon Eridani Fleet]]
***''[[Anchor 9]]''
***{{UNSCShip|Savannah}}
**[[UNSC Special Forces|Naval Special Warfare]]
***[[Noble Team]]
*[[UNSC Air Force]]<ref>''[[UNSC Air Force#Notes]]''</ref>
**[[YSS-1000|YSS-1000 Sabre starfighters]] (5+)
**[[AMX-42]]
***[[D77-TC Pelican]] (1)
|forces2=*[[Covenant military]]
**{{Pattern|Zurdo|Wraith}} (1)
**[[Fleet of Valiant Prudence]]
***{{Pattern|Sh'wada|supercarrier}} ([[Long Night of Solace|1]])
***{{Pattern|Ceudar|heavy corvette}} ([[Ardent Prayer|1]])
***{{Pattern|Ru'swum|Phantom}}s (10+) 
****{{Pattern|R'shwupa|Phantom}}s
***{{Pattern|Dextro Xur|Spirit}}s (2+)
***[[Type-31 Seraph]]s (10+)
***{{Pattern|Elsedda|Banshee}}s (10+)
|casual1=
*{{UNSCShip|Savannah}}
*Jorge-052
*Unknown number of Air Force pilots
*Unknown number of Army troopers
*Unknown number of "Sabres"
|casual2=*Rho 'Barutamee
*Shipmaster Ardo 'Moretumee
*Covenant supercarrier ''Long Night of Solace''
*Covenant corvette ''Ardent Prayer''
*Unknown number of Type-52 Phantoms
*Unknown number of Type-31 Seraphs
*Unknown number of ''Elsedda''-pattern Banshees
}}
'''Operation: UPPER CUT''' was a [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] [[UNSC Army|Army]]/[[UNSC Navy|Navy]]/[[UNSC Air Force|Air Force]] joint operation to destroy the {{Pattern|Sh'wada|supercarrier}} ''[[Long Night of Solace]]'' during the [[Fall of Reach]] on [[2552#August|August 14, 2552]].<ref name="lnos">''[[Halo Reach]]'', campaign level, [[Long Night of Solace (level)|Long Night of Solace]]</ref>

==Background==
The [[Battle at Szurdok Ridge]] was completely disrupted by the appearance of a cloaked Covenant supercarrier in low orbit above [[Reach]]. The UNSC had no available nuclear weapons or large orbital assets to strike down the supercarrier, prompting the SPARTANs of [[Noble Team]] to improvise. Recalling a slipspace drive accident near [[Cygnus]], [[SPARTAN-III program|SPARTAN-III]] [[Lieutenant Commander|LCDR]] [[Catherine-B320]] conceived an unorthodox plan to use a [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine]] as a makeshift bomb.{{Ref/Reuse|lnos}} To reach orbit, they decided to appropriate the top-secret [[FSS-1000 Sabre]] planetary defense fighters stored at the [[Sabre Program Launch/Research Range]] at [[Farkas Lake]]. [[Colonel]] [[Urban Holland]] reluctantly approved the operation, with [[SPARTAN-B312|Noble Six]], a qualified Sabre pilot, leading the space portion of the attack.

To distract the ''Long Night of Solace'', the UNSC fleet under command of Vice Admiral [[Michael Stanforth]] began [[Operation: LEFT JAB]]; a supporting mission to distract the [[Fleet of Valiant Prudence]] by probing the fleet's defenses. Due to the ongoing ground conflict and imminent arrival of a [[Ministry of Resolution]] fleet, Supreme Commander [[Rho 'Barutamee]] made the decision to engage the human fleet, leaving the ''Long Night of Solace'' open for attack.<ref name="HFB6">''[[Halo: Fleet Battles]]'', [[Scenario Six: Left Jab]]</ref>

==The operation==
===Ground battle===
At the start of the operation, the launch facility was under heavy attack by Covenant forces deployed from orbit. Large numbers of [[Type-31 Seraph]]s and {{Pattern|Dextro Xur|Spirit}}s were swarming the airspace around the site. [[Noble Team]] members [[Carter-A259|One]], Two, [[Jorge-052|Five]], and Six fought their way through the Covenant forces on the beach and linked up with Army units inside the facility. Noble Six and Jorge-052 boarded their FSS-1000 Sabre fighter, and launched into space with the other four Sabre fighters, while Jun arrived on a Falcon to exfiltrate Carter and Kat from the facility.{{Ref/Reuse|lnos}}

===Space battle===
All five Sabres rendezvoused with the {{UNSCShip|Savannah}} at orbital station [[Anchor 9]]. After docking, the ''Savannah''{{'}}s [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine|slipspace drive]] was removed and mounted on a [[D77-TC Pelican]] dropship for transport.{{Ref/Reuse|lnos}}

While EVA teams transferred the drive, the Sabres were called to defend Anchor 9 and ''Savannah'' against the waves of Seraphs and space-capable {{Pattern|Elsedda|Banshee}}s. At the start of the engagement, Anchor 9's [[point-defense gun]]s were offline, and bringing the defenses online required several minutes. The initial Covenant assault waves were engaged by the Sabres. Anchor 9's own defense turrets assisted the fighters after they came back online. Multiple {{Pattern|R'shwupa|Phantom}}s arrived during the engagement and attempted to board the station. The Sabres intercepted and destroyed the dropships before they could cause major damage, and the surviving Covenant forces retreated.{{Ref/Reuse|lnos}}

With the space around Anchor 9 clear of Covenant forces, Jorge-052 separated from Six's Sabre and boarded the Pelican to secure the makeshift Slipspace "bomb". Colonel Urban Holland then finalized the plan. A nearby [[Ceudar-pattern heavy corvette|Covenant corvette]], the ''[[Ardent Prayer]]'', on a refueling run to the Covenant supercarrier, would provide the delivery system for the bomb. A [[Naval boarding|boarding party]] would secure the corvette, neutralize the crew, and place the bomb on board, where it would be detonated by a timed fuse. The Sabre team would be responsible for clearing a way for the boarding party. The ''Savannah'', despite the loss of her slipspace drive, would provide local fire support and assist the boarding action.{{Ref/Reuse|lnos}}

The corvette and its escort of six fighters were caught off guard by the sudden attack. ''Savannah'' immediately jammed the Covenant warship's communications before it could transmit a distress call, and used her point-defense guns to bombard the corvette and the escorts with heavy suppressive fire. Any Covenant fighters that didn't fall victim to the frigate's guns were destroyed by the Sabres. The Sabres then attacked and disabled the corvette's engines, crippling her speed and maneuvering. The corvette responded by deploying a swarm of Banshee interceptors, but the unshielded craft were easy prey for the Sabres. The Banshees were supplemented by several Seraphs returning from patrol duty, but eventually all the Covenant escorts were wiped out. During the dogfight, the corvette's crew managed to power up the ship's weapons and opened fire on ''Savannah'' and the Sabres with plasma torpedoes and flak.{{Ref/Reuse|lnos}}

During the space battle, the ''Savannah'' continue to coordinate with the rest of the UNSC fleet conducting Operation: LEFT JAB.{{Ref/Reuse|HFB6}}

===Aboard the corvette===
With the fighter escort destroyed, the Sabre team landed unopposed on the corvette's dorsal landing pad, close to the communications array, and deployed Noble Six and a small UNSC Army<ref>''[[Halo: Warfleet – An Illustrated Guide to the Spacecraft of Halo|Halo: Warfleet]]'', p.76</ref> supporting force consisting of the Sabre crews. [[Artificial gravity]] and life support had been taken offline, and any Covenant forces in the area that were not in [[Vacuum suit|vacuum-sealed suits]] had suffocated. Noble Six and the Sabre pilots attacked and eliminated the crew at the communications array, taking it permanently offline and allowing ''Savannah'' to cease countermeasures and divert all available power to weapon systems. The team moved on, securing the docking bay and allowing the Pelican to land with Jorge-052 and Army trooper reinforcements. With Jorge-052 defending the makeshift bomb, Six and the Army troopers fought their way to the corvette's [[bridge]]. At the same time, the ''Savannah'' finally succumbed to the corvette's [[Plasma torpedo|plasma barrage]] and was destroyed with all hands. After successfully capturing the bridge, Six manually locked the ship's course to the supercarrier, preventing any potential course corrections. After heading back to the docking bay, the surviving Covenant crew assaulted the UNSC forces, attempting to retake the docking bay and destroy the package. All non-Spartan personnel were killed in the assault.{{Ref/Reuse|lnos}}

After the short engagement, Jorge-052 discovered several problems. Damage done to the corvette had blocked the path back to the Sabres, and the Pelican's thruster gimbal had been heavily damaged - the only way off the ship was a space jump. In addition, the timer on the slipspace drive was damaged by plasma fire, requiring a manual detonation when the ship reached the supercarrier. With no other UNSC personnel around, Jorge-052 volunteered to activate the bomb manually and forced Noble Six off the Covenant corvette. As the corvette came in range of the ''[[Long Night of Solace]]'', the bomb detonated and created a [[slipspace]] rupture. The rupture sent the corvette into slipspace along with the mid-section of the supercarrier.{{Ref/Reuse|lnos}}

==Aftermath==
{{Quote|no=five|Air Control (COM)|AI Auntie Dot (COM)|ATC 2 (COM)|Colonel Holland (COM)|AI Auntie Dot (COM)|q1=They're everywhere!|q2=Slipspace rupture detected.|q3=Oh no, this can't be happening!|q4=Must be the whole damn Covenant fleet!|q5=Slipspace rupture detected.|The UNSC panics in horror followed by screams on the communications channel as a massive combined Covenant fleet arrives{{Ref/Reuse|lnos}}}}

The destruction of the supercarrier would also bring with it the death of Rho 'Baratumee, leaving the fleet of Valiant Prudence without centralised leadership. The combined effects of UPPER CUT and LEFT JAB would leave the Covenant fleet out of position and vulnerable to continued attacks by the UNSC fleet.<ref name="HFB7">''Halo: Fleet Battles'', [[Scenario Seven: Finishing Blow]]</ref> Eventually, the Shipmaster [[Kantar 'Utaralee]] would take charge of the battered remnants of the fleet of Valiant Prudence and attempt to make a last-ditch fight near the moon of [[Turul]], in the hopes of reclaiming the fleet's honor. At this time, the [[Cole Protocol]] would be declared, and all ships in the system ordered to rally at [[Rally Point Zulu]].<ref name="HFB8">''Halo: Fleet Battles'', [[Scenario Eight: Rally Point Zulu]]</ref>

Despite this victory, the success of Operation: UPPER CUT was short lived. Only minutes after the supercarrier was destroyed, an enormous [[Covenant fleet]] from the [[Ministry of Resolution]]{{Ref/Reuse|HFB6}} exited Slipspace above Reach and launched a full-scale assault on the planet.{{Ref/Reuse|lnos}}

Due to the rapid launch of UPPER CUT, [[Operation: RED FLAG]], which sought to capture a Class-Five Covenant flagship and use it to find ''[[High Charity]]'', was unable to mobilize in time and so delayed until August 29 for another chance.<ref>''Halo Waypoint'', [[Data Drop/Five|Data Drop 5]]</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:HR BeachFight2.jpg|NOBLE Team fighting Covenant troops outside a Sabre launch facility.
File:HR LaunchFacilityExplosion.jpg|A Seraph crashes into a Sabre launch facility.
File:Halo- Reach - Saber Launching.jpg|Sabres being launched from a UNSC base.
File:HR SabreChasingSeraph.jpg|A Sabre team engaging a Covenant Type-31 Seraph fighter over Reach.
File:HR_Anchor9Defense.jpg|The space battle raging around Anchor 9.
File:Reach E310 Campaign10.jpg|The battle raging around ''Anchor 9''. 
File:HaloReach - Space Battle.jpg|''Bravo 029'' and UNSC ''Savannah'' attacking ''Ardent Prayer'' over Reach.
File:HR CorvetteSix&Pilots.jpg|Noble Six leading other Sabre pilots into the ''Ardent Prayer''.
File:UNSC Savannah moments before explosion.jpg|The ''UNSC Savannah'' succumbs to the ''Ardent Prayer'''s plasma fire while covering NOBLE Team.
File:HR CorvetteUltraTeam.jpg|A team of Sangheili Ultra on board the ''Ardent Prayer''.
File:HR CorvetteHangarFight.jpg|Jorge-052 and SPARTAN-B312 fighting a Sangheili Ultra onboard ''Ardent Prayer'''.
File:Reach AssaultCarriers.jpg|A Covenant fleet entering the system just after the end of the operation.
</gallery>

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: Reach]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Fleet Battles]]''
*''[[Halo Mythos]]'' {{Mo}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

{{Engagements in the Fall of Reach}}
[[Category:Operations]]
[[Category:UNSC victories]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:UPPER CUT}}